Houston Students Get a Lesson in Financial Literacy

HOUSTON, April 20, 2017 – BBVA Compass and NBA Legends TJ Ford and Robert Horry tipped off an NBA Cares event to inspire and teach financial literacy to local students at Houston’s John F. Kennedy Elementary School.

Ford, a local product who starred in college before going to the NBA, along with Horry, a seven-time NBA champion, joined BBVA Compass volunteers in visits to classrooms and computer labs, where they talked to students about the importance of staying in school and creating opportunities for a bright future for their financial lives. Emcee Craig Ackerman, radio play-by-play voice of the Houston Rockets, tipped off the assembly event and introduced school and BBVA Compass officials, as well as the NBA Legends. BBVA Compass later donated a classroom set of 33 iPads to the school for students as a way to advance their learning experiences.

“These players are committed to their communities, and that aligns exactly with BBVA Compass’ values and mission,” said BBVA Compass Texas Regional Executive Jeff Dudderar. “We wanted to give back to Houston, where the bank plants its roots, and to a top-notch educational institution like Kennedy Elementary. We’re proud to be part of this special partnership that also has impacted so many students and has created ample opportunities for them.”

The event is part of the bank’s annual effort to bring the Vault financial education program, developed by education technology firm EverFi, into schools across the BBVA Compass footprint at no cost to the schools or school districts. The course features interactive lessons, games and story-based activities that challenge children from an early age to make choices in real-life scenarios to best achieve important goals around saving and job planning.

“We are very thankful that the NBA and BBVA Compass joined together to shine a light on financial literacy here at our school,” said Kennedy Elementary School Principal Diana Lum. “Our kids are really going to benefit from this because having this event today and receiving more iPads, they’ll now be even more excited about financial literacy.”

BBVA Compass and the league’s global social responsibility program, NBA Cares, have presented EverFi’s web-based financial literacy program since 2011, and has impacted more than 20,000 elementary students in schools across various markets.